Most BJJ academy owners burn out somewhere between year 3 and year 7. Not because the jiu jitsu is hard — because the people part is. The communication, the boundary-setting, losing core members, staying in one piece, knowing who to let through the door.

Heads up: this is a shorter episode — we ran into some technical difficulties partway through the recording, but the conversation was too good to shelve.

In this episode of The Business of Jiu Jitsu, JP Levesque sits down with his own professor, CJ Hollett, who just crossed the 10-year mark running his BJJ academy. CJ breaks down what actually keeps an academy owner in the game a decade in, how jiu jitsu training methodology has evolved over the past 10 years (and where the "let them work" mentality came from), how to coach white belts and women so they don't quit, and the #1 attribute every great BJJ coach needs.

The conversation also gets into the personality side of running an academy — why some people probably shouldn't be coaches at all, why patience and communication matter more than technique when it comes to retention, what CJ would tell himself 10 years ago about losing core members, how to pick your rolls and keep your body in one piece as an owner on the mat every day, and the red flags students should watch for when picking a jiu jitsu academy.

If you run a BJJ academy, are thinking about opening one, or want an honest look at what a full decade of academy ownership actually feels like — this one's for you.

JP Levesque is the founder of Grow Jitsu. He helps BJJ academy owners clean up their business model, student journey, and simple owner-run marketing so they can grow past the 80–150 student ceiling without selling out the art or burning out.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro: 10 years in the game with CJ Hollett

01:00 – What keeps you going a decade later

02:30 – How jiu jitsu training has evolved

04:30 – The rise of the "let them work" mentality

05:55 – Coaching white belts so they don't quit

08:20 – The #1 attribute of a great coach

10:20 – Why some people shouldn't be coaches at all

11:50 – Proudest moments after 10 years of ownership

12:40 – How to keep your body in one piece as an owner

15:00 – Red flags in an academy

17:20 – Green flags of a good academy

19:00 – What CJ would tell himself 10 years ago

21:30 – Why losing a core member never stops hurting

22:30 – Advice for anyone opening an academy today

25:00 – Who actually sticks with it long-term

28:00 – Belt promotions and how to structure them

34:30 – Teaching structure: curriculum vs. organic

37:00 – Merch, gis, and not forcing students to buy yours

39:00 – How to make a new student feel like part of the team

Want help applying this to your academy? Book a free BJJ Growth Plan Call: https://growjitsu.com/call